Realizations
by WS
Summary: When Suzie Storm, the Invisible Woman, goes missing, the Fantastic four goes out to search for her. Tey realize that they're not the only people with powers, and they're not the only good guys. But, Von Doom isn't alone, either. CHAP 4 UP
1. Chap 1 New Allies New Enemy New Search

Disclaimer- Fantastic Four and most of the characters are not mine, etc, etc. Though, some are mine. But I do not get any money for this, or anything else containing these characters. Okay? Good.

WS- Well, I got a good idea when I went and saw the movie a couple weeks ago. This is a bit of a crossover, you might say…. Oh well. But, some of the characters are mine, such as Kayen. Well, I hope you like it. Please R&R! I won't write more until I get a review!

**Chapter One: New Allies New Enemy New Search**

Suzie Storm sat in her bedroom, gazing out the window to a beautiful horizon. All of the colors at once had always amazed her. How did nature do it? She didn't want to miss any of it, so she didn't turn around when the door opened behind her. All of a sudden, she felt an air of tension around her, and looked back quickly. Her eyes widened, and a hand gripped her shoulder, not very gently.

She struggled against the grip, to no avail. Someone else snuck behind her and put something over her mouth, so she couldn't call for any help from the rest of the Fantastic Four. The two men dragged her to her feet, and brought her out the door quickly, stealthily, and carefully. Suzie thought of using a force field to knock the men back, but she felt a tinge of pain in her left shoulder, and fell to the ground. She couldn't move.

It was a needle she had felt. One of the men had given her an injection. She hoped that it wasn't lethal. But, of course, she had never heard of an injection that just paralyzed you and then killed you, but you never knew…

"Suzie? Where are you? Tell me you aren't mad about yesterday!" Johnny Storm was walking through the halls of their headquarters. Suzie hadn't been seen by any of the Fantastic Four since the day before. They had gone and defeated some villain who called himself "Valla." Then, Suzie had gone into her room. That morning, she hadn't come out, and she wasn't in her room the next morning.

Of course, she might just be clearing her head…. I did kinda make her mad by showing off my powers to those cute girls… Johnny thought. He had done it, and she had simply raised an eyebrow at him. But, he knew that she hated it when he used his powers to get fame, as if he already didn't have enough.

Ben Grimm appeared around the corner. "I can't find her, Johnny. Reed can't, either. He's searching the city, and he just contacted me with his new-fangled com-links. He hasn't found a trace of her." He sounded truly puzzled. Join the club, Johnny thought.

"Same here. I wonder what happened to her…. Did Valla get his hands on her yesterday? He seemed to have a way with women. Maybe she's upset?" For once, Johnny was thinking logically.

"Possibly. But, you'd have to ask Reed about that. He's the one who went with her when we 'split up.'"

"Okay, Ben." He sighed. "Where could she have gone?" He peeked into her room one last time, and walked down the hallway with The Thing. They both had their special suits on, with the new com-links stuck on the 4 which would stay on the shoulder of the suit.

"I have no idea," he answered. Johnny wrinkled his brow, and then realized that he had said it aloud. "But," Ben added, "we can always go help Reed."

"True, very true. Let's go!" He exited the door and said the words "Flame on!" His body was immediately engulfed in flames, and he took off towards the sky.

"Show-off…" Ben muttered. Johnny was definitely not the most modest person in the world. He was probably the exact opposite—the least modest in the whole world. He shook his head and went back inside. He'd never be any help to them. He'd stay and man the headquarters, in case Suzie came back. If one of the members got into trouble, then he would be there after they contacted him via com-link.

Reed Richards, or Mr. Fantastic, as some called him, walked through the city, looking for some sign of his fiancé. He hadn't found anything, but he'd earned a few stares from anyone he passed by. Finally, he took to going across rooftops, stretching his legs the right length to get across any gaps in between them. Besides, he had a better view from up there.

Still, a few people looked up when a long, spindly-shaped shadow passed from overhead. They would look up, and some clapped. Reed had to admit, it made him chuckle.

He couldn't get over how quickly he was getting used to his powers. But, since he could stretch just like rubber, he would freeze or melt just like rubber, too. That was bad.

He'd been looking all over the city for over an hour. Where could Suzie have gone? If something had happened to her….

There was a sound from below him, and he looked down. He gasped, his eyes wide. What was going on? There were a few men, with ski masks on, and knives. Some had hand guns. There was a girl backed into a corner. But what caught his eyes was her costume. She was wearing a black and purple form-fitting suit, a mask over her eyes. There were holes in it so that she could see, though. Her hair was pure black, and didn't even shimmer in the sunlight. But, something else that caught his eye was her ears. They were on the top of her skull, and looked like a large cat's. They had black fur, and he saw that her eyes her yellow, with slit-like pupils like a cat's.

The men closing in on her looked up as Reed's shadow passed overhead. The girl didn't look up, but lunged at one of the men, knocking him out with a quick punch. The other men attacked her, surprised, and she stunned another with a spin-kick.

Two down, three to go, he saw. He stretched his hand swept two of the away, while she was battling the last. She ducked, dodging a blow, jumped over a low kick from her opponent, and did a side kick, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get up, she punched him, and he closed his eyes, unconscious.

Finally, she looked up at Reed, and he watched as her eyes seemed to return to a normal blue, with normal pupils. "Thanks," she said her voice smooth.

"You're welcome. And you are?" he asked. She certainly seemed like another mutant. Had something happened to her, too?

"Dark Panther. You're Reed Richards, or Mr. Fantastic, am I correct?" she replied. Her real name was Kayen. Her skin was dark brown, and she was African. Therefore, an African name.

"Yes, I am," he replied. "I didn't know that the Fantastic Four wasn't the only group of… the gifted." He hesitated, trying to find a word other than "mutant".

"Not even close. I've lost count of how many there are. We usually keep to ourselves. But that's about to change."

Johnny kept sweeping his head from side to side while he flew over the city. A few people cheered, and he grinned. To the girls, he waved. Typical Johnny Storm.

There was no sign of Suzie, but he soon caught sight of Reed. He was with another girl in an alley. Johnny raised an eyebrow at the girl's costume, and smiled wryly. She was just the kind of girl he liked. But, he then saw the bodies of stunned and unconscious men with ski masks.

The girl was holding a bunch of knives and a couple of guns that she had seemingly taken from the men, and handed Reed the guns. She slipped all of the knives into a pocket attached to her belt. It was black, matching her costume.

He landed, and let his flames die down. He did drop-whistle, and walked over to the girl.

Reed rolled his eyes. From just the little he had seen of Dark Panther, he doubted that she would stand for Johnny doing to her what he did to most beautiful people of the opposite gender.

Johnny smiled at the girl, and winked. "So, you new in town?" He put one arm out, against the wall, and leaned on that. He was trying to flirt.

Kayen's eyes narrowed, and she turned back to Reed. "As I was saying, we are coming out of hiding. You four have proven that not all of us will be shunned after we gain the trust of the people. And, there are many, many new threats. Scientific breakthroughs are happening all of the time, and usually by men who will use them to gain power. Or, to gain powers. Many, many of them."

Johnny frowned slightly, but let it pass. He made up his mind that she was just playing hard to get. No girl could resist the Human Torch. He finally looked her over and realized that she must have powers, too, or be going to a costume party. He doubted the latter. _Another person with powers? Cool._ He listened to what she was saying, and raised his eyebrows. "What did I miss here?" he asked.

Reed replied. "A fight. Then, she told me that we're not the only ones with powers. There are a lot, and there are a lot of bad guys with powers, too," he answered simply.

Johnny whistled again. Bad guys other than Doom, Valla, and the others that the Fantastic Four had gone against?

Kayen raised an eyebrow, but ignored Johnny. "I was sent with a few more people to find you. We have found out something that might be useful to your search here."

"How did you know we were searching?" Reed asked. He was still suspicious. She might not be all that she seemed.

"Because we all knew that you would search when one of your people went missing. We knew that the Invisible Woman went missing because of our sources. We might know where she is," Kayen answered.

Johnny blinked. "Where is she? Where's Suzie?" he asked. He wanted his sister back.

"She's been kidnapped. A villain who calls himself Shade has taken her, I believe. Or, he most likely got someone else to do it for him. He's dangerous, and we need to get her back if we want her to live."

"Not good…" Reed said. "But, there's something nagging my mind—what others came? Where are they?"

"We all split up to look for you." She paused, and pointed. "There is Gambit. He is one of the people who came with me."

Johnny and Reed turned to the end of the alley. A man in a trench coat was walking towards them. His hair was red, and looked like it hadn't been brushed that day. He had something around his head that wrapped around his neck and the sides of his head, but exposed his hair and face. His eyes were blue, and he had gloves without fingers on them. The shirt underneath his coat was deep green.

"Cha-ri, where have you been?" His voice was thickly accented. He looked at the two standing there, and added, "I suppose you found them?"

"Yes, Gambit. I have located the Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic. Contact the others." Kayen replied.

"Will do." He pulled something out of his trench coat. It had an X on it. He flicked a button, and spoke into it. "This is Gambit, calling everyone on this mission. The Fantastic Four have been located by Dark Panther. We're in an alley on 45th Street. Come on."

There was a series of replies, and then he flicked his com-link off.

"Just how many people were with you?" Reed asked.

"Let's see… Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Cyclops, and Hawkgirl," Gambit replied.

"That's quite a few people to bring just to find us," Jhonny said. "If I'd have seen Dark Panther over here quicker, I'd have come to you instead of making you look for me." He winked again at Dark Panther, who death-glared him. He cringed when she did, and got the message—but he had no intention of heeding the warning.

Gambit chuckled, and Reed raised an eyebrow at Jhonny. "Okay. Human Torch, a little word of warning: be careful. Dark Panther is shameless over there. You could get hurt."

Reed chuckled this time. "Reminds me of someone…"

Jhonny glared at Reed. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll be fine. I have a way with gals." He smiled wryly, and leaned on the wall.

Because the last remark wasn't aimed at her, Kayen ignored it. But, Gambit wasn't exaggerating. She wouldn't hesitate to put a real bad hurt on him if necessary. She looked up, and saw Rogue. "Down here!" she called.

Rogue looked down at them, and landed next to Gambit. She had long sleeves and gloves, and a form-fitting green and yellow costume. Her hair was long and curly, brown with white along the edges of her face. Her eyes were sharp green, and her skin was light-colored. Her boots reached her knees, though they were already covered by pants. She didn't show any skin except for her neck and face.

"Welcome back. You didn't respond on the com-link," Gambit told her.

She had a heavy western accent. "Yeah, sugar? I was concentrating. You know me." She shook her head. "So ya'll found them, I suppose." She was scanning Jhonny and Reed.

Kayen turned to the two members of the Fantastic Four once again. "Where can we all talk in private once the others have come?" she asked Reed, carefully avoiding Jhonny's mischievous gaze.

"We can go to the tower, our headquarters. Is that another of your people?" Reed replied, gesturing to someone else above them. It was another girl. She had orange hair, and green eyes. Her mask looked like a hawk's head, and she had grey wings from her shoulder-blades that were as long as she was tall. She was wearing a strapless yellow shirt, and black belt with a round, silver buckle, and dark green pants. Her boots were red, and there was a small mace attached to her belt. She came down for a landing.

Her wings folded when she hit the ground, and scanned the two just everyone else had done. She held her mace in one hand, thumping it in her hand, in case trouble came. She was definitely not someone you would want to run into in a fight.

"These are two of them?" she asked, her question directed to Rogue.

"As far as I've been told. We're still waiting for Cyclops, Storm, and Jubilee to come back," Rogue answered.

"Okay, okay," Jhonny said, "can you quit talking like we're not here already? Dark Panther said you have info about Suzie. Where is she?" For once, he wasn't interested in the girls' forms.

Hawkgirl shot him a glance, and nodded. "We don't know exactly where. But I'm sure Dark Panther told you who probably has her."

"I have," Dark Panther assured her. "I've also told them that there are more people like us. And I told them that we're coming out of hiding."

"Good. They should know that." Someone said from the street. "Can I barge into the conversation?" he asked. His hair was red, like the others'. He had a blue and yellow costume that showed off his muscles. There was a yellow rope-like material stretched over his chest to form an X. He had a yellow visor over his eyes, and they had a red strips across it. You couldn't see his eyes through it.

"Of course, Cyclops. Come on out of the street where you're earning a few stares," Jubilee said. She wasn't nearly as conspicuous as he was. Jhonny and Reed hadn't even noticed her at first. She had a yellow trench coat, and was wearing jean shorts and a pink shirt. She had short black hair, and yellow gloves. Her skin was light, and she wore pink sunglasses that sat on her head, unused. Unlike the others, though, she looked to only about 15 years old.

They both stepped into the alley with the others. "Where's Storm?" Jubilee asked.

"She's not here yet—"

"I'm here. Patience is a virtue." She landed. Her hair was white, curly, and long. She didn't have pupils, making her seem mysterious. Her skin was a light brown, and she had a white costume, with a cape. On both of her shoulders was a round, black and red symbol that had an X on it.

"We're all here, then?" Cyclops asked.

"We're all here," Dark Panther confirmed. "Now, these two said that we all could talk in their headquarters." She turned to the two. "You still stand by that?"

"Of course. Let's go." Reed was too surprised to say anything else. There quite a few more people with powers… but Dark Panther had said that there were a lot… he shook his head, clearing her jumbled thoughts.

"Good." Hawkgirl lifted off the ground again. "We should get cover. We all earned a few stares from residents here. I'm sure they know they have more people with powers now that they've seen a few of us flying. We need to go before we cause a panic."

"True," Cyclops agreed. "Lead the way," he said to Reed and Jhonny.

"Okay, so you're telling me that we're not the only ones with mutant powers?" Ben asked Reed.

"Yes, that's what we're telling you," Jhonny said. He smiled slightly and said, "And some of them are _H-O-T_."

Ben rolled his eyes and looked back at Reed. "And they have info about Suzie?"

"We do," Black Panther cut in. "And we can help get her back, also, if you will accept our help. We could be very useful since we know more about the one holding her than you all do."

Gambit, who was chuckling at Jhonny's remark, quickly straightened himself out. "Yeah. Your choice whether we stay and help or leave."

"I say we let them help out. I don't see why we wouldn't. If they wanted us dead then I'll bet they already would've made their move," Reed mused. "And we might have some allies for the future after this."

"Oh, alright. If you say so, Professor," Ben replied. He turned to Jhonny. "And don't you scare them off!" he warned.

Jhonny put on an innocent face. "Aw, come on. Little old me? Never. Let's just get this over with."

Jubilee grinned. She had a sense of humor, unlike most of the women there. Of course, Rogue smiled slightly. Other than them, Gambit was the only one who would laugh at something like that.

After Ben had been briefed on what had happened, the group went to the main part of that floor. It was a large room with scientific equipment everywhere, save for in the middle of the room. There were large windows that took up most of the walls, making it easy to see most of the city from that one point in the middle.

"We need to go as soon as possible if we want the Invisible Woman to be unhurt when we get to her," Kayen stated.

"Yes, we do. Shade is a murderer, thief, and has no conscience as it seems. She might already be dead, but if she's as resourceful as we hear, she probably isn't. Besides, Shade wouldn't go to the trouble of kidnapping her and then kill her so quickly. But she might already be hurt. That, we can't be sure of," Hawkgirl added.

"So, we need to go quickly, I'm guessing," Jhonny answered.

Storm gave him a glance. "Yes."

"Then let's go, already," Ben said, and waited for Reed to reply.

"Let's go," Reed said without hesitation.

"We'll show you the way. We're going to be meeting with more people like us there. It will take a few minutes to get there, but not much longer if we use either their ship, or mine," Hawkgirl said.

Minutes later, they were standing in next to two large airships, complete with hyperspace, cloaking devices, shields, weapons, and many other things.

They were nearly on their way.

WS- How is it? R&R!


	2. Chapter Two: More Heroes More Villains

WS- Wow, I only put this up in the afternoon, and I already have two reviews the same day? Yes! Hehe

Well, I call some of them different names sometimes…. Here's a list of their names, just in case you don't know.

Dark Panther: Dark Panther, Kayen; Hawkgirl: Shayera, Hawkgirl; Human Torch: Human Torch, Jhonny; Mr. Fantastic: Mr. Fantastic, Reed, Professor Richards; Green Lantern: GL, Green Lantern, John; Martian Manhunter: Martian Manhunter, Jonn, Jonn Jonnz; Invisible Woman: Suzie, Susan, Invisible Woman; The Thing: Ben, Ben Grimm, The Thing.

**Chapter Two: More Heroes More Villains **

Suzie Storm knew she didn't have anything over her eyes. She couldn't feel a thing except for the cold touch of darkness everywhere she looked. She could move again, but her hands and feet were bound. She had a gag, but nothing to cover her eyes that she could feel.

She knew it must have been pitch dark around her. It wouldn't have made a difference if she had closed her eyes. Or were they closed? She couldn't be sure; she was still light-headed by the injection she had been given, which was, fortunately, not lethal.

She heard something. Shuffling? What was it? It sounded like claws on a hard…tile…floor. Was there something moving? Was something waiting in the darkness? Prowling around, watching for the moment to strike, to sink its claws and teeth into her flesh….

She shook her head, clearing her waking nightmares. She couldn't see, but the darkness seemed to be pressing down on all of her other senses, too. And then…another noise.

A voice!

"What you see—or the lack of it—is my doing, Susan Storm," she heard a voice come from the darkness. It was a man's voice, deep and ominous.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Suzie demanded, frantically turning her head back and forth, trying in vain to find the source of the sound.

"I am Shade. You have not heard of me, but I am sure your friends have by now. I see that the injection my men gave you has worn off."

"Enough small talk! Where am I? Let me out!" She was getting mad. If only she could find the man, she could send out a force wave….

He laughed quietly. Even that was threatening. "You are where no one will ever find you. Well, the no one who will want to rescue you, anyway." He snickered.

"Oh, quit being cryptic!" She was trying to stall him. If she could locate him…. But his voice seemed to be booming from everywhere. From her sides, from behind her, from in front of her… even from above and below her. "Tell me now! Let me go!"

"Oh no. I'm not letting you go."

"And just why not? Do it or else my friends will make you wish you had never laid eyes on any of us!" She knew it was a long shot, but she had to keep him talking.

The dark started to clear, to her surprise. It rolled back slowly, looming on her sides, like ominous mist, fog….

A face appeared right in front of hers. A man. His skin was grey, his eyes covered by pure black sunglasses. He had a tall black hat, and wore a black suit without the white shirt underneath. He had a cane, and it was too black. A black cape flowed behind him, making him look larger than he was, more threatening, more dangerous.

"No, I'm never letting you go." He grinned toothily.

"Amazing…," Reed remarked, sitting behind the co-pilot's seat of the Javelin, Hawkgirl's ship.

"It's not much compared to my home planet's ships," she said. "The Thanagarians are pretty advanced."

Ben gasped. "Planet? You mean to tell me you're a—"

"Alien?" she interrupted. "Yes, I am. Humanoid, but alien. Try to think of me as a foreigner. I have humanity's survival in mind, not my kind's." She seemed to spit out the last three words.

Reed shook his head, amazed. "Is this… erm… Thanagarian?" he asked. He couldn't help himself; he had to ask.

"No. This was made by Batman. He's pretty good with these kinds of things. He says it's made from a mixture of aluminum, uranium, tin, and steel. It makes a good, strong combination."

"Batman? What kind of a name is that?" Jhonny asked. It was the first time he had spoken on the whole trip.

"We're here," she announced, and they all felt the ship tilt slightly, coming in for a landing. The front windshield showed that they were entering a dense forest.

"How can we land in that?" Reed asked her. "It's too dense. I may be no professional pilot, but I know that there's not enough room down there."

"It's alright," she assured him. "Like I said, Batman is good with these things. He made it especially to land where any normal aircraft couldn't."

Ben raised his rocky eyebrows. "Oh, really? That's cool. Hey, Professor, maybe we should get him to make us somethin' good," he said, and chuckled.

"He's practically solo. I doubt he'll do that, even for a fellow hero with powers," Hawkgirl cut in.

"Oh… solo? Like, he doesn't have a group to do it all with?" Jhonny asked. Silently, he couldn't believe facing all of the bad guys they had encountered, sometimes all at once, on his own.

"Yes, solo. Sometimes he stays with the Justice League, my group, but he mostly keeps to himself. He lets us use his Watchtower as a headquarters, and he helps us when we need it. We help him when he needs it, and we share our finds with him. You'd be surprised how many times we've had to dig into the past to defeat whoever's the new threat."

Reed cringed. He liked science and math, not history. He hated the wars and everything… slavery, killing, bombings, guns…. Little did he know that she was talking about ancient history: Babylon, ancient Greek mythology, et cettera.

They realized that they had landed. They hadn't even felt a bump! Simply amazing. They had to get this Batman guy's phone number.

The roof rose, and Hawkgirl stood up and stepped out. Reed followed, and so did Jhonny. The vehicle didn't even tilt when Ben made his way to the side and got out, climbing over the wing.

There was no sign of any animal life, though they seemed to be in a rain forest. Minutes from the suburbs? The Javelin must travel at light speed…. There were no birds, no snakes, not even a lizard or another small animal. No insects, either. There should have been mosquitoes, but there were none. Something had scared them all off.

Another ship landed near them, barely disturbing the treetops. It was the others.

Cyclops, who had driven, climbed out. Storm followed from the co-pilot's seat, and then Rogue. Gambit jumped out, and then came Jubilee. Dark Panther was last.

Hawkgirl put her left hand to her left ear. None of them could hear, or see anything. She spoke, as if the person she was speaking to was right in front of her. "Superman, we've arrived at the rendezvous area. Why aren't you here? I don't see anyone else, either."

She seemed to be listening to something, and nodded to herself. "I heard you. We'll come find you." She turned to the others, lowering her hand from her ear. She saw the puzzlement on the Fantastic Four's faces, and explained simply, "A com-link Batman made."

Reed furrowed his brows. Jhonny sighed, and Ben didn't do a thing. Hawkgirl told them, "The rest of us weren't able to get here. They were attacked, and had to lure the enemy away from our rendezvous point so we weren't brought down by surprise. They're a couple miles nor-northwest. We need to go to find them."

"Listen, I can't go as fast as you all can. I can't fly or stretch or anything…. Shouldn't I stay here so I don't slow you down?" Ben asked.

Storm nodded. "That would be fair. You can guard the ships. But, they will both be cloaked. If you hear anything from anyone you do not know, then contact us with your com-link." Her voice was deep and commanding.

"Done," he replied, glad to be getting out of the mile-long run.

"None of us who can't fly should go. Of course, Reed could since he can stretch. But Gambit, Dark Panther, Jubilee, and me should stay," Cyclops said.

Dark Panther shot a glance at him. "I can go. I can run fast," her voice dripped cockiness. She meant it.

Gambit shook his head in amusement. "Okay, Char-ie, but be careful. There could be traps," he said.

Storm rose into the air, followed by Rogue. Jhonny guessed that he should, so he did the familiar "flame on," and rose into the air. Hawkgirl unhooked her mace from her belt and slid the loop around her wrist, holding the handle tightly, and rose after them.

Everyone who could fly took off. Reed stretched his legs to take longer steps. Dark Panther ran just as fast as they all flew, spreading her long legs with every leap. Within seconds, they all disappeared.

"So… I'm guessing we probably won't see any action?" Ben asked Cyclops. His voice sounded slightly disappointed.

"Probably not, but you never know," Cyclops answered. His voice was just as commanding as Storm's.

"Were they still fighting when you talked to them over your com-link?" Reed asked Hawkgirl, coming up beside her.

"Yes, they were. We must be ready for battle when we get there," she answered. Her mace was held ready, and she was scanning the ground and air around them.

"If they're still doing it now, then it'll be a big fight, hun," Rogue said. "Superman is strong, and practically unbeatable. And we've got Beast and Wolverine there, too. Along with Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter. They're all forces to be reckoned with."

"Oh, great. So, if they're still fighting, then the enemy is…what? Almost unbeatable?" Jhonny asked, exasperated.

"Oh, goodness, no. They're gonna go down, you can count on that," she answered wryly. A small smile spread on her face.

Dark Panther called from below, "You all are going to alert the enemy if you keep talking!" She sounded like she was ticked.

Hawkgirl smiled slightly. She had been thinking the same thing. The smile quickly disappeared as she saw something on the horizon. Silently, she pointed, and flew lower over the trees.

They all looked that way, but no one spoke. They all saw it. There was a large clearing, and there was a large battle going on. There were small, sleek airships shooting at airborne and grounded targets. But, none of their targets were other ships. They were people, people who could fly, or run fast, or anything else. There were also grounded soldiers fighting, and some had weird costumes.

Suzie bit her bottom lip. Stalking around behind Shade was a large cat. It looked like a cheetah, but had the shape of human woman. She was covered in fur, though, and walked like a cat. Her face was flat, like a human's, but she had the nose of a feline. She walked on all fours like one, too.

"Why am I here?" Suzie demanded. For some reason, she didn't think she could send out any force waves, even if she tried. Why not? She had no idea.

"Because by bringing you here, I'm luring all the other people with powers, also. Some of them are already here," he answered wryly. His grin disappeared as the woman stood up on her hind legs.

"I say we bring her to a more secure location, Shade. They could all break through here at any moment," she said, her voice low and raspy.

He sighed, and turned to her. "No. I have kryptonite planted everywhere. That will keep Superman, their strongest, from getting in here. As for the others, I have special surprises."

Hawkgirl flew up right behind a ship, and her mace was surrounded by what looked like bursts of electricity. She hit the tail of the ship, and it fell to the ground to erupt in a massive fireball.

That got the attention of everyone, good or bad. "You finally made it, Hawkgirl!" Flash yelled from down below. His suit was all red and covered his whole body. There was a lightning bolt symbol on his chest, and he had yellow knee-high boots.

Rogue chuckled. "Watch your back!" she called, as someone started shooting lasers from behind him. He sped out of the way, so fast he was barely a blur, and took the man out.

"Watch my back? You watch yours!"

Rogue's smile dropped off her face and she spun around. "Oh, shoot," she muttered. There was a ship right behind her, taking aim. She flew out of the way of the blast as it came speeding toward her, and she gave a power punch into its wing. Smoke and fire erupted from the hole, and the plane went down.

Jhonny took out a few soldiers with his flames, and Reed stretched and kept one of the falling planes from hitting one of their men. It was Beast. He was large, with a lot of muscles. He didn't have any shirt on, but he had blue pants. He was covered in dark blue fur.

"Thanks," he said, in a highly educated English accent. His voice, though, was deep and gravelly.

Reed nodded, and went back to battling the many enemies in air and ground.

Wolverine was on the ground. His wore a yellow outfit that showed off his muscles, but it was short-sleeved. It had black stripes on the sides, and a black belt. He also had a black mask that spread out past the sides of his head. On both hands, his knuckles had three long blades of metal protruding from the skin. He used them to slash at the enemy. They were quite effective.

Superman shot red lasers from his eyes and took down ships in the air with his large muscled arms. He wore a blue outfit with a red cape, and a yellow S on the front. He didn't wear a mask, and his hair was black.

"Shayera!" Green Lantern called. Hawkgirl answered to the use of her real name by flying beside him and taking out one of the ships that had ganged up on him. He was wearing green and black. There was a green lantern-like symbol on his chest, and he wore a ring with the same symbol. He had black skin, wore no mask, and had black hair. He was surrounded by a thin green light from his ring, making him able to fly. His only weapon was the ring, which he shot bursts from, and could make solid shapes from.

"Thanks," he told her, taking out another. His voice was deep, but not too. Shayera nodded, and went back to taking out enemies on her own.

Dark Panther was there, of course, dodging shots with a cat's agility. Just as quick, she would take out soldiers on the ground, sneaking behind them swiftly, but with no sound at all.

Wonder Woman was in the air. She wore a strapless shirt like Hawkgirl, but it was red, white, blue, and gold colored. Her pants didn't have legs, and were blue. She wore a lasso at her waist, and red boots. She didn't have a mask, but she had a crown with a red star in it. Her hair was long and black, and her skin was very light. She took out another ship by grabbing the tail so hard her fingers made dents in the metal and swinging it around, finally letting it go so it went flying to the ground, exploding.

Batman was in plain view, on the ground. He was wearing a dark grey shirt with a black bat on the front, grey pants, a yellow belt, and a black cape. He had a mask on the turned up on the left and right of his head. He was ducking and dodging blows, throwing small things shaped like bats, which would explode about two seconds after impact.

None of them saw Martian Manhunter. Finally, he became visible. He came out of the ground, transparent, and then solidified behind one of the soldiers. He knocked the man out by giving him a swift punch to the head. He had light green skin, and a blue cape, red pants without legs, and a yellow rope-like thing over his chest forming an X, with no shirt under it. He didn't have any hair, but his eyes were pure black.

"Jonn! We'll get all of the ones on the ground; you help the ones in the air!" Beast called to him.

He answered by nodding and taking off, his cape whipped in the sudden rush of air. He flew straight into one of the ships, becoming transparent at the last minute, seeming to have gone right through the walls. The ship started going down soon after, and he appeared on the other side of the ship as it fell, transparent for a moment, but then solidifying again.

The enemies were thinning out. Storm called, "Wind, hear my cry. Blow our enemies out of the sky!" A huge wind picked up right then, forcing all of them but Storm to land. Even the ships couldn't fight it, and were blown away. It was like a mini hurricane.

"So that's why she has that name…" Jhonny muttered. "Hopefully she won't make it rain while I'm still in flame on."

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Ben muttered. He was growing ever more impatient by the minute. What was the problem?

"They've probably found the others in a battle. But don't worry, they'll probably win. With Hawkgirl's and Wolverine's ferocity, Dark Panther's agility, Flash's swiftness, Rogue's, Beast's, Superman's, and Wonder Woman's strength, Storm's weather-calling abilities, Batman's and Green Lantern's weapons, and Jonn's ability to go through things, I doubt they _can_ lose," Cyclops assured him.

Ben blinked. "All o' that? And what, may I ask, are _your_ powers?" he asked, getting curious.

Cyclops smiled slightly. The others were quiet, knowing that Cyclops would answer. "I can shoot lasers from my eyes. I'm blind, and I can't control when I shoot. So, this visor allows me to see, and I'm able to control when I shoot the beams. Gambit can make anything he touches explode, if he wants. But, he can also pull a fake-out and make it look like they'll explode, but they won't. Jubilee can shoot laser beams from her hands," he explained.

"Oh."

Jubilee laughed. "Yep." She leaned on one of the cloaked ships. "I wish I were out there with them…."

"Soon enough, Char-ie," Gambit assured her. He grinned, and took a playing card out of his trench coat. It was an ace. He examined it, and put it back into his coat.

"You have to do that all the time, don't you?" Jubilee asked him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I have to make sure my ideal weapons will work," he answered innocently.

"Work? Of course they will, and you know that. If they have a smudge, they'll work just as well as not," she replied.

He grinned. "Yeah, maybe. But it's not my style to throw smudged cards." He winked at her.

She shook her head in amusement but didn't answer.

The girl put her hand to her ear. "Shade, we've got a problem. Our soldiers, in the air and on the ground, were just all taken out. They can get in."

Shade smiled. "Good. As I said, I have special surprises in store for them all. They won't like them, but I'll be having a good time."

Cheetah smiled wryly. "You're starting to remind me of Joker."

"He is crazy. I simply enjoy my line of work." He didn't turn back to Suzie. Out of the bottom of his cane came a spray. It looked like… shadow?

It was. Her eyes widened as she was encased in darkness once again. What was going on? His cane shot darkness? A dark spray? But that didn't explain how it had rolled back when he had wanted it to.

She didn't know. But what she did know was that she was at his total mercy when unable to see.


	3. Chapter Three: The Arrival

WS- Yes, a lot of chars. More to come, too. I hope ya'll like it! Oh, and Wind is another of my made-up characters. . Please ignore it if I get something wrong about Phoenix; I don't know much about her, only the X-Men before that happened to Jean Grey.

**Chapter Three: The Arrival**

Reed walked over to Superman. He seemed to be the leader of a few of them. A few of them, not all.

Diana, Wonder Woman as some called her, seemed to be one of them who was in Superman's group. Jhonny was trying with no success to flirt with her.

Diana sized him up, and seemed to be getting ready to choke Jhonny when Hawkgirl stepped in. "Ignore him, Diana. He'll get what's coming to him when he tries that on Seline," she said.

Reed shook his head, overhearing them. _Jhonny is going to get us all into trouble._

Superman turned his gaze to Reed and chuckled. "You might want to keep Human Torch in eyesight. Hawkgirl is right; if he tries it on Wind, he'll get a lot more than a black eye."

Reed smiled, and nodded. "By the looks of who he's tried, I'm surprised he hasn't already," he replied. "Anyway, he should get set straight. He won't listen to anyone else. Maybe that'll show him not to hang with girls who don't want him."

"If you say so," Flash replied. "I'm just surprised. He's just as persistent as I am with the chicks." He had just zoomed up with his super-speed, and stopped next to both of them.

Superman shook his head. "That he is. At least you know when to let it go so you won't get hurt. Go show him the rules, Flash."

Reed replied after Flash had zoomed off in Jhonny's direction. "Down to business, how are we going to get Suzie out?"

"You mean the Invisible Woman? We're not totally sure of the layout of where she's being kept. We're going to have to wing it," he answered.

Hawkgirl walked over. Hearing Superman, she cleared her throat. He knew what she meant, when her eyes darted to her wings.

Reed chuckled. Superman said, "Oh, sorry. We'll have to make up the plan as we go." He smiled slightly as Hawkgirl nodded her approval.

"Let's do it then," Reed replied. "What are we waiting for? If Shade is as bad as they're all saying here, then we need to hurry."

"Yes. First, we need to wait for a few more people to get here, though." This was Hawkgirl.

Reed blinked. "More!"

"There are a lot more, but we're only waiting for a few. Phoenix has recently come to our side, thankfully. She's awfully powerful, but not coming on this mission. Instead, it's going to be Wind (who's also powerful), Firestar, Iceman, Spider-Man, Black Cat, and possibly a few others, if Professor Xavier asks them to," Green Lantern said, from up above them.

Suzie shrank back against the wall behind her. The claws clicking on the floor earlier had been that girl. What was she? A hybrid?

But she had to concentrate on getting out of here. It was hard. The darkness around her seemed to constrict her, to make her dizzy and lightheaded, and cloud her mind so she could hardly think at all.

What was going on? How could she get out? When would the others finally get here? Were that guy, in black, and that cheetah-woman going kill her? She had no idea about any of those questions.

"It looks like everything's secure until they get here. Wind is always quick, and she gets everyone else to be, too. They'll all be here soon," Dark Panther told Superman.

"Good. We'll know beforehand if we're about to be attacked, then?" Superman asked.

"Yes. Unless someone can go through the ground and come up in between everyone, then it's secure. And I don't know of anyone good or bad, except for Jonn who can do that."

"So, uh, how do we know if they're in trouble?" Ben asked, his question directed at Cyclops.

Before he could answer, Jubilee said, "Com-link. A snazzy little thing that Professor Xavier gave to us X-Men, and Batman made for the Justice League. The loners like Dark Panther have their own that's tuned to both frequencies, though."

"We should have heard from then by now, though. Suppose something happened so they couldn't contact us?" Scott—Cyclops—suggested.

Without saying a word, Gambit took his com-link out of his trench coat. It was small, circular, rimmed with black, and with a black X on it. In between the lines it was red.

He turned it to Rogue's com-link only, and spoke into it. "Che-ri? It's Gambit. We're getting worried over here."

Rogue, staying at her post to one side of the clearing, felt her com-link vibrate and then heard someone speaking from it. She looked around, and saw that no one else were acting like theirs was. Maybe it was turned especially to hers? Gambit was the only one who would do that.

"We're fine, sugar. How's it going there?"

She heard him answer. "It's fine over here. Boring, but that's better than fighting. Is everyone there?"

"Everyone who was supposed to be when we got here. But Wind and the others haven't gotten here yet. Tell Cyclops it's clear to come over, if ya'll think you should re-join the group," she replied.

Cyclops nodded, over-hearing. "Then we're going. Let's hurry and be there by the time everyone else has arrived."

Gambit turned back to his com-link, and said, "We're coming over. Tell the others." He shut it off, and got into the X-Jet with Cyclops and Jubilee.

"Come on! We can't fly the Javelin without one of the Justice League, so we need to leave that here. There's more than enough room for you to come in here with us," Cyclops said, when Ben hesitated.

"Well, alright…." He stepped up and I into it. Like in the Javelin, it didn't rock at all. Cool. He sat down and buckled in. It was small, but you could stand up in it, and there was enough room for about ten people. Cyclops and Gambit were at the controls. The top lowered into place, and the ship lifted, guided by Scott.

Hawkgirl was watching the forest and sky around her post intently. She wasn't nervous at all. She had complete trust in her abilities for her post, and for the others at their posts.

She was in the air, watching everything from above, where you could get a good view. She heard something behind her, and smiled slightly. She turned her head when a hand touched her shoulder, and felt Green Lantern's lips caress hers for just a moment.

She chuckled, and said good-naturedly, "Not now, John. We're working. Get back to your post before Superman sees you're gone."

He half-smiled, and shrugged. "There's enough people watching. I was assigned to watch everyone and make sure they have back up if they need it at their post," he said.

Hawkgirl sighed with amusement. "Then shouldn't you be watching everyone, not just me?" She smiled.

"True. We'll finish with you when we're back at the Watchtower." He winked, and left to take a look at all of the posts.

She shook her head, still smiling, and turned back to the small bit of land she was assigned to watch.

About two minutes later, Cyclops contacted Rogue. "We're about there. You're within sight. Make sure they don't shoot us down, will you?"

Rogue answered. "Of course, sugar. I think I see you. To the south-east? Yeah, that's the X-Jet, alright. I'll tell him."

"Thanks."

"Yes, Rogue?" Superman asked. He was doing the same as Green Lantern. He was also wondering why Rogue had abandoned her post.

"The X-Jet's on its way with the ones we had to leave to guard the ships. Can you tell everyone not to shoot it down?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied. "Is that it there? Yeah. Okay, now go back to your post."

Suzie was alone except for the soft clicking sound from Cheetah's claws on the hard floor. She wanted to look around, to see her surroundings and to know if something was sneaking up on her, but she couldn't.

She thought of making herself invisible, but that was only a fleeting thought. They would still know where she was.

"Looks like they're not the only ones coming. I can see Wind's vehicle in the distance. She's coming quick, and on time, as usual," Superman commented to himself.

Green Lantern flew up. "Yeah, that's her all right. I wonder if she came with anyone else."

"Most likely. She's probably also giving a ride to the others who are coming. I wonder how the Fantastic Four will react to her…."

"Oh, quit worrying. She'll probably stay away from them anyway. You know she doesn't warm up to anybody quickly, and ignores most of the ones she doesn't know well. Of course, she might give Human Torch what's coming to him," GL replied, and smiled slightly.

"True. She sure gave Flash something to think about." Superman grinned, remembering the black and blue mark that was only covered by Flash's mask. That had been well-deserved to Flash and entertaining to watch from the others' views.

"Anyway, we ought to go meet her. Come on." GL took off in the direction of the ship. At closer range, you could see the details of it. It was carved with markings that covered the entire exterior. They didn't mean anything to the untrained eye, but if you knew Wind, you'd know they had a pretty important meaning.

Five minutes later, the ship had landed and the heroes got out of it after the top lifted, showing lights flashing and more designs on the interior.

Iceman came first. He was named well: he seemed to be completely made of ice, but shaped like a human man. He waved to GL who came up to give any assistance if necessary.

Firestar followed him out. She wore a form-fitting yellow jumpsuit and had long red hair that tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. Her boots were red and so was her mask. Jhonny marked her as his next target.

Spider-Man was next; he wore a red suit that was blue on his sides, and had a black web-like design on his chest and the symbol of a spider on his breast. He wore a mask that covered his entire head and was red, having two white places for him to see through. He seemed agile when he climbed out.

Black Cat climbed out like a …well, like a cat. She wore a black costume that showed off her form, and had white fur around the ends of her legs and arms. She wore an intricate black mask, and had pure white hair. And, of course, she was on Jhonny's list. He was very happy here: lots of pretty women.

But, Reed and Jhonny both wondered where Wind was when she climbed out. But, they missed the way she moved because they spun around, hearing something else landing. Cyclops, Gambit, Jubilee, and Ben had gotten there.

They nodded in greeting as the roof lifted. None of the others did anything but keep to their posts or wait for orders. They seemed to be used to this kind of thing, two ships at the same time.

Reed waved to Ben as he got out, and Ben walked over. Jhonny did the same. About two seconds later, they remembered to look back to see Wind, but when they did, they couldn't see her.

Jhonny asked Superman, who was pretty close next to him, where she was.

"She went to check on others at their posts. She usually keeps to herself, anyway; you wouldn't have been able to talk to her very much. Anyway, we all have work to do. Now that everyone's here, we're going in to get the Invisible Woman."

"Okay, but why so many people just to fight one guy and get my sister back?" Jhonny asked suspiciously. The whole thing had been nagging at him ever since he had gotten there.

"Shade is very dangerous, and when dealing with him, you need back-up. Cheetah is most likely with him, too, though. Along with that, there are probably many more. Most likely, this is all an intricate trap. That's why we have so many people: if we're attacked and can't get out, then the others can come to our rescue, and we have more chance of spotting an attack and fending it off."

"Oh."

Meanwhile, Suzie's time was running out. She didn't know that, though. All she knew was that she was in big trouble, and the others better come soon or else. She didn't even know that the rest of the Fantastic Four had found more superheroes—or that the other heroes had found them.

"Is everything in order?" Shade asked, in a room other than Suzie's holding cell. He didn't want her to hear this.

"Of course, Shade. What do you think I am, cheap?" It was yet another villain: Quicksilver. He wore a silver suit, and his head was exposed; no mask. He had white-blond hair, and a fit form. He raised a slanted eyebrow. Plus, he was a part of the Brotherhood—the X-Mens' worst enemy.

Shade didn't answer. He didn't need to answer an ignorant teenager who could think of nothing beyond using his powers to gain money, a good house, and all the girls.

They heard a hiss from the doorway, but neither turned. There was the clacking of claws on the floor, and a voice came from behind them.

Cheetah raised onto her back legs, standing up straight, and said, "They are all here, Shade. Even Wind has come. I trust everything is set?"

"Yes, Cheetah. They won't survive if they come looking for their dear Susan Storm," Shade said, and his teeth glinted in the faint light as he grinned evilly.

Cheetah purred with satisfaction, and lowered back down to all four legs. "Good." She walked gracefully back into the room where Suzie was encased in darkness.

They were all sure that Shade was right—their enemies were walking into their doom as they spoke.

**WS-**Well, it's not as long as usual, but I found this a good time to stop the chapter. Sorry it's taken a while to update. My mom's been using the computer to fill taxes for a week, and I've been suffering severe writer's block.


	4. Chapter Four: The Trap is Laid

WS- SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I'm so busy and I got majorly caught up on fictionpress. Sorry, again.

**Chapter Four: The Trap is Laid**

Jhonny's eyes wandered over the camp, trying to locate Wind. Flash had given him a heads-up to watch out for her temper, but had also said she was a prize worth it. Flash had never won and gotten the prize.

He saw a flicker of movement in the trees and thought it was her. Would he finally have a chance to meet the infamous Wind?

No.

He sighed in disappointment when Reed walked out. He hadn't seen Wind after all. How could she avoid him for so long?

"Sooner or later," he muttered.

"Sooner or later what?" he heard from behind him. It was Iceman. Jhonny was surprised to hear his voice; it sounded only his age.

"Nothing," he recovered quickly. Iceman shrugged.

"Whatever you say, man. Don't you have a post? You should probably get to it." He half-smiled. "If Superman finds you taking a break during the job, you're gonna get flamed. No pun intended, dude."

Jhonny raised an eyebrow. "Well, it certainly sounds like a pun. And no, I don't have a post. I'm trying to"—

"Find Wind? Flash updated me. You're not gonna find her. She has a real way with camouflage. You'll find her when the time comes."

"You mean when she wants to be found?"

"Pretty much."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Black Cat and Spider-Man got into a conversation as soon as they had set down. Neither of them had a post.

"Really, Black Cat, it's good to see you. It's been boring without a woman's touch. Especially when going up against vampires, the King Pin, the Chameleon, and everything else." Spider-Man smiled under his mask. He still had no idea that the woman standing in front of him was Felicia Hardy, and she had no idea that he was Peter Parker.

"Too bad, Spidey. You know I don't stay in one town. If you want to follow where I go, you're welcome to. But really, don't expect me to hold myself back. You're not the only one dealing with vampires. I have to put up with Blade's temper quite a bit." She grinned.

He winced. He had gotten a taste of Blade's temper a few times. "My heart goes out to you, Cat. He's treating you alright, though?"

"He gives me the equipment needed to take down the vamps, and we team up on hard fights. But he's definitely not someone you would call 'sweet'."

He laughed. "I agree. Oh, boy, do I agree."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rogue sighed. "All clear over here," she reported. When were they gonna get goin'? It was taking much too long. She folded her arms, still hovering over the forest.

She couldn't see anything wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Good, Rogue. Same here, everyone," Cyclops reported. He was also starting to get a bit anxious.

"Superman, is everything fine over there?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fine," Superman reported. "We're going soon."

He heard a rustle near him, just beyond the edge of the trees.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jean didn't report yet. She had her hands to her temples, and was searching the area for any signs of activity other than their own.

She didn't catch anything…

But no one had thought of the possibility of helmets like Magneto's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hawkgirl sighed. She had her mace in hand and was looking out over the forest. Nothing was there that she could see.

But she could sense something near.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Firestar kept on the ground. She could fly, but preferred not to. She didn't see anything wrong. Yet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I have an eerie feeling. I think something's out there. I keep hearing twigs snapping."

Kayen, Dark Panther, cocked her head as she heard it again. Her cat-like ears swiveled to catch the sound better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reed furrowed his brows in frustration.

"You mean something's out there?"

"Yes," someone answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wind was sitting near some of the trees. She was so close to the edge that you couldn't see her from above; that's why Jhonny hadn't been able to detect her.

She had her eyes closed, listening and feeling instead of seeing. She believed that sometimes a blind man could see clearer than anyone else.

Her long hair flowed in the slight breeze, but was an abnormal color—light brown with the faintest tinge of green—and her skin was fair, unblemished. Her delicate lips were in a straight line as she concentrated. When she stood up she was taller than Jhonny. Her long legs helped her run swiftly and silently.

She wore a dark green shirt, and her pants were the same. The hem was black on both. She wore a black belt that held her communicator, though it was seldom used. She wore nothing to hide her face.

Her ears were pointed gracefully, like an elf's. Her hair tumbled around them, almost hiding them from sight.

While concentrating, she sensed something coming. It was coming fast.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ben sighed. Was there nothing to do? He was anxious to find Suzie. He kept hearing things but guessed that they were only other heroes moving in the brush.

He was oh so wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Storm couldn't see anything. But she did hear something.

"I hear it also. Can anyone see it?" she asked into her comm-link.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Suzie shook her head. What could she do? How long had she been in that darkness already? Two hours? Two days?

When were her friend, fiancé, and brother going to come?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Superman, we've got to go now. We're running out of time." This was Jubilee. When it came to things like this, she wasn't her normal kid-ish self.

"I know, Jubilee," she heard from her communicator.

"Good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They all froze in place. Everyone either heard or sensed something. Many narrowed their eyes, scanning the trees. A few looked inside their circle; the sound was all around, not just in the forest.

"This gives me the creeps," Black Cat muttered. Spider-Man was next to her. He didn't say a thing.

Hawkgirl tensed, mace ready.

Firestar got ready to fight if necessary.

Superman had all of his senses alert, ready to take on a challenger.

Dark Panther slowly swiveled her ears, trying to locate the source of the sound.

Jean Grey couldn't sense anything.

Jhonny, Ben, and Reed were near each other, and they shared silent glances.

Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, and Rogue all scanned their surroundings warily. Wolverine's adamantium claws were protruding from his knuckles.

"Something isn't right here," Wind muttered, still out of sight. She trusted her senses; not being able to sense anything with her mind but being able to hear something had never happened to her before. Something was amiss.

She was the only one who knew how big it was. Things were very, very amiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shade smiled, satisfied. "They will never know what hit them. Even if they bring Wind they will never know what hit them."

Quicksilver half-smiled. "Of course. I laid the traps. Do you think they'd be able to get past them?" he answered cockily.

Cheetah hissed from the doorway. "You've failed many times, Quicksilver. I pray you don't fail again, for your sake."

Shade grinned wolfishly. "Don't worry, my dear. I made the plans. They're perfect. I know their weaknesses. They're not getting past it."

"They'll be dead?"

"Oh, yes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

WS-Quite sorry. It's short. I only got to work on it and didn't want to keep you all waiting all that long. I know it's been a while, but I'm majorly busy.

Feel free to put constructive criticism. From now on I'm going to try and answer reviews individually if they have questions.


	5. Chapter Five

**NOTE: I have decided not to have Phoenix in the story, as I said in one of the earlier chapters, but it will only be Jean Grey. I still know nearly nothing of Phoenix, that fire-bird spirit from outer space. **

**Chapter Five**

Wind reached down carefully, trying not to disturb anything, and grasped her communicator. She put it to her mouth and whispered so that nothing farther than two feet would hear: "We've got a problem. Everyone stay together, and don't take to the air. And _be quiet_." Before anyone could respond to her confusing commands, she switched it off.

Trying oh-so-carefully not to step on any leaves or twigs, and succeeding easily, she walked into the clearing. The sunlight hit her pale cheeks and almost seemed to reflect off of them as they would a mirror or a polished piece of glass. The slightest wind had picked up, not Storm's this time, and it made her hair flow around her neck, but she felt something ominous in it.

Suddenly she recognized the feeling. It had been hundreds of years since the last time she had felt it, and this time it was weak, but it was something no one could ever forget, that would haunt a person to the end of their days, or drive them there itself.

"Necromancer…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Invisible Woman gulped. She was feeling claustrophobic, and felt herself nearing her limits. Panic threatened to engulf her in the dark, the oppressive darkness, closing in all around her, smothering her and her senses.

She snapped herself out of her fear. She had to keep control of herself! She would never live through this if she gave herself a heart attack. She could not afford to let her imagination run wild at a time like this. The darkness itself could do nothing to her, and if only she could get her bearings, she could use her powers to…what? What could she do? She couldn't unbind the ropes binding her limbs and keeping her from moving, and even if she could knock out Cheetah, the one guarding her—the _clicks_ from her nails on the tile floor were still haunting her, going this way and that, from here to there, and reminding her she wasn't alone in the darkness—then that would do no good with clearing the dark up and getting out of there and to the Fantastic Four.

She felt despair begin to overwhelm her once again. What to do? There was nothing. She was helpless.

That sense of dread kept growing and growing, with very good reason.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Superman's head snapped to look at the graceful woman walking towards him. He sighed slightly, wondering what the matter was that she had sent that last command to them all. She had to have good reason, and he knew it; she never used the com-link she had unless it was _absolutely_ necessary. And by her tone, it was urgent. She was never playing around.

He raised his eyebrows inquisitively. She shook her head slightly, showing they still weren't supposed to make any noise. He frowned but nodded and turned back to scan everything. The other heroes had heeded her warning and grouped toward the middle of the clearing, none in the air.

Kayen walked to Wind, and made a few handsigns. Thankfully, a few of the heroes knew sign language, and could communicate that way. Wind signed back for a moment, and Kayen's eyebrows rose incredulously. She seemed to lose herself for a moment, and her jaw dropped. Then she seemed to catch it and closed her mouth, forcing a blank expression.

Superman wondered what could have had that sort of effect on someone as composed as Dark Panther. Unfortunately he couldn't sign, and therefore didn't know what had passed between the two women. But he knew it must be important.

Jhonny rolled his eyes in impatience. A few of the others were keeping him from seeing Wind, and for that Reed was grateful when he caught a glimpse of her himself. Jhonny wouldn't see the spark in her eyes, the seriousness of it and the shamelessness, just the tall, lean figure and the unblemished face. He would be all over her, until he got himself hurt. And until now he hadn't seen the extent of the other heroes' remarks; she looked as if she would easily give him "more than a black eye," as one had said. More like a broken back, or, even worse for Jhonny, a broken ego.

He shook his head so he could keep his mind on what he was supposed to. He wondered why they were supposed to stay this quiet. Just as he started to space out again, there was a snap of twigs behind them all.

Wind's head snapped toward the sound, her hair flowing freely as the wind picked up. Clouds had rolled over the sun, so now everything was covered in shadow. Her jaw was set as she walked very slowly towards the source of the rustling, her mind threatened to becoming overwhelmed by the mental stench that filled the air, and stopped. Nothing moved for a long moment.

But she knew it only meant they were about to be attacked. She put a hand towards the others, a sign to be ready, and hoped they would remember her warning and keep on the ground instead of the air. Everyone watched with a growing sense of anxiety and impatience, and then it happened.

It was so fast no one could have expected it at first. Something hurled itself at Wind's form, and she ducked expertly. No one could see what it was, and only Kayen could guess at it. From what Wind had told her, this would be the first of many.

"No one touch it! Stay away from them!" The silence was broken by Wind. She dodged the thing another time. It never stood still long enough for anything but a blur to be seen. A rotten stench filled the air and choked nostrils. Jubilee broke out in a fit of coughing.

Suddenly two more of the things, each faster than even Flash, hurled themselves at the group of desperately confused superheroes. Each of their instincts were to fight back, but Wind had said for them to stay away. Scott vaguely considered shooting beams at them, but decided they were both too quick and that he shouldn't do anything to them without Wind's consent, since she seemed to know more about these than anyone.

He looked at her and noticed that another had joined her attacker. She was dodging two at the same time, and they seemed strategically placed, coming from two sides at once. "Wind!" he called, forgetting to keep silent.

"Stay away! Whatever you do, _do not fly!_" she yelled back. She bit her lip and ducked yet again, jumping away from yet another attack, another lunge, another jump, another throw….Finally she threw her arms out and released a huge burst of energy. A blue light consumed the two figures and they fell to turn to dust before they had even reached the ground. Still no one had been able to see what they looked like, but all knew it didn't matter.

She thrust her palm towards the group and the other two assassins disintegrated into the wind. "Dust to dust…," she muttered, repeating the same spell she had just used. Dust to dust.

"What were those?" Beast inquired, awe in his voice. "And what did you just do?" She realized that they all thought she simply had powers like they all did, only more powerful at times. Only now had she had to show that strength, flying, enhanced senses, and psychic powers weren't the only things she could do. But what she had just done was, obvious to anyone, not just powers.

She sighed slightly. So this was when the truth came out. If necromancers were around, they would have to know. There was absolutely no reason to stall their knowing.

"Those were the first of many," she answered truthfully. "There are necromancers somewhere in this, for some reason. Those were, from what I've learned, typically their most prized assassins. What I did was a counter-spell to return the living dead to the dust they were."

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I'm sorry for the wait again. Things have been hectic, and I've been updating my other fanfictions and stories on fictionpress. I've finally found a good place to go with this, I believe, and you've just caught the beginning of it. I hope to update a bit more often, but I'm not sure if I can during this holiday season. When I'm out of school and such I hope it will be VERY often that I update. **

**Oh, and I realize I called Wind "Seline" in an earlier chapter. That was actually going to be her real name, but I've decided it's too simple, too regular. So, for now, her real name is, as of yet, unknown to everyone. I'm not even sure yet if I'll make it so that the other superheroes know it. I doubt it.**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to (for reviews for the latest chapter): **theblondeone07, Malinorn, demons eyes, carebears15

**P.S. I know I switched scenes fairly often in the last chapter, and I typically don't do that. I did it to sort of build up suspense. I hope that's what it actually did. And I will also stop naming chapters. I have trouble figuring out names. But if anyone would like me to continue naming the chapters, just tell me, please. **


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